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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27767629">Not What This Is</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/joz_rose/pseuds/joz_stankovich'>joz_stankovich (joz_rose)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Geostorm (2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Choking, Derogatory Language, Dirty Talk, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Rivalry, Rough Sex, Smut</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:53:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,182</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27767629</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/joz_rose/pseuds/joz_stankovich</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Your rivalry with Duncan Taylor aboard the International Space Station heats up in a way you hadn't intended, leaving you frustrated and more than a little confused at your growing conflicted feelings.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Duncan Taylor/Female Reader, Duncan Taylor/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Not What This Is</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This started out as nothing more than a smutty one shot idea, and somewhere along the line as I was writing some actual plot started to slip in, so I may continue it as I refine these ideas lol.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Duncan Taylor was, to put it nicely, a cocky little shit.  A brilliant systems analyst, to be sure, but a complete and total arsehole, and you had the <em>very</em> unfortunate honour of having to work in the same unit as him, day in and day out.  </p><p>Your little rivalry had begun from the very beginning.  You’d both been assigned to the O/S division for the Dutch Boy climate control system aboard the International Space Station, when you’d happened to disagree with him on something, calling attention to a fault in one of the programs he was in charge of monitoring. </p><p>Ever since then he’d tried to one up you, undermine you, and overall just get under your skin on a daily basis.  You knew what some of your colleagues whispered behind your back, that your frequent arguments and back and forth banter was only thinly veiled flirting, which was frankly <em>ridiculous</em>.  </p><p><em>Was it? </em> A tiny voice in your head asked.  Just because you sometimes happened to look forward to these repartees didn’t mean anything.  It was almost enough to drive you mad, so it was peaceful moments like these that you relished when he wasn’t around, his computer chair sitting empty.</p><p>“[y/n], you wanna look over that data from yesterday again, please?” Duncan’s smug voice taunted as he ambled into the lab, plopping down at his workstation directly behind yours, letting his computer chair spin slowly to face you.</p><p>“Why?  Was there something wrong with it?” you asked, looking up from your monitor warily, your lips twitching into a frown.</p><p>Duncan shrugged noncommittally, steepling his fingers as he slouched in his chair.  “Oh, I dunno, just that an entire sector of satellites nearly went offline, due to a missing string of code,” he mused, frowning exaggeratedly, “Luckily I was there to catch your little mistake and fix it before anything untoward happened, but y’know, nothing major.”</p><p>Gritting your teeth you forced a smile, more of a grimace really, in his direction.  “Thank you for that, I’m <em>so</em> glad you were able to catch it.”</p><p>“Yeah well, you owe me,” he pointed out smugly, his frown turning to a bemused smirk.  “I could’ve easily let slip to Ute about it, but I decided to use some discretion, you know?  Wouldn’t want to call attention to one of my associate’s mistakes.”</p><p>You snorted, rolling your eyes.  The thing about it that pissed you off the most was that you <em>were</em> thankful he’d caught it, and you were grateful that the head of your division hadn’t found out or you’d be facing some serious reprimands, but you were still frustrated you’d messed up in the first place, and now he had something to lord over you.</p><p>“You know what I’m most confused about, [y/n], is how you could’ve missed somethin’ so <em>glaring</em> as that in the first place,” Duncan continued thoughtfully, studying you with interest and you wanted nothing more than to wipe that stupid smug grin off his face.</p><p>Scoffing again under your breath you spun your chair away from him, focusing back on your computer monitor, not rising to his jabs.</p><p>“You know what I think it is, [y/n]?  I think you’re so pent up you just can’t think straight.  Maybe if you had a good fuck—“</p><p>“You’re a prick, Duncan, that’s what <em>I</em> think,” you shot back, your head whipping toward him.</p><p>“Maybe so, but tell me, luv, when’s the last time you got laid, huh?” he continued, waggling his thick eyebrows, a suggestive look in his piercing green eyes that sent a strange thrill through you and for half a moment a thought danced through your consciousness, one that sent heat pooling between your thighs before you quickly banished it.</p><p>“Fuck off, Duncan, I don’t have time for your games,” you exclaimed, though you couldn’t quite bring yourself to turn away again.</p><p>“Who said I’m playin’?” he asked, though you weren’t sure if he were serious or just teasing you.</p><p>“I need to get back to work,” you muttered, tearing your gaze from him, though as you focused on your screen once more you could still feel his eyes on you.</p><p>——</p><p>Running your hands down your face you sighed as you finally pushed away from your workstation, stretching as you stood and knuckling the small of your back, wanting nothing more than a shower and your bunk.  Luckily at this hour most of the crew was either relaxing in the lounge, asleep, or just starting a fresh shift, leaving the locker room quite empty.  Crossing the room to your locker you nearly jumped out of your skin as Duncan ambled out from around the corner, coming to lean against the lockers next to yours.</p><p>“Well well well, fancy running into you here, [y/n],” he drawled, smirking down at you as he leaned closer.  “What a pleasant surprise, and here I thought you were trying to avoid me.”</p><p>“If only it were that easy,” you grumbled sarcastically, attempting to nudge him out of the way so you could get to your locker.</p><p>“Oh come now, luv, don’t be like that,” Duncan pouted, tilting his head, his springy curls falling across his forehead and you idly wondered what it’d feel like to run your fingers through them.</p><p>“Be like what?  Duncan, <em>please</em> get out of my way,” you huffed making a purposeful shooing motion, but he only stepped closer, caging you in with his arms and your breath caught at his proximity.  His eyes found yours and this close you realized you’d never noticed how truly stunning they were before, your thoughts turning unconsciously to your earlier conversation.</p><p>He was right, it <em>had</em> been a while, and just the thought of being filled, being touched after so long had arousal gripping you.  <em>For a mouthy fucker why did he have to be so damn attractive? </em> </p><p><em>Oh fuck it</em>, you thought, making an impulsive decision as he opened his mouth, no doubt to taunt you further, but you moved first, taking him by surprise as you grabbed his t-shirt by the collar and yanked him to you, your lips colliding with an intensity that stunned you as well, but for once you’d managed to shut Duncan Taylor up.</p><p>As soon as your mouths met however, he was kissing you back hungrily, pressing you back against the lockers and you slid your hands into his hair, threading your fingers through the curls you so wanted to touch, drawing a low moan from him as you opened your mouth to him, teasing him with your tongue before his found yours eagerly.</p><p>“Oh, you don’t know how much I’ve wanted you, luv,” he groaned as your hands moved from his hair to fumble with the knotted sleeves around the waist of his dark jumpsuit, his hips jerking toward you as you worked to untie them.  “Tell me you haven’t thought about me too.”</p><p>“I haven’t,” you snapped, but Duncan merely clicked his tongue, amusement flashing across his face. </p><p>“You’re lying, darling, clearly.  You <em>want</em> me.  You want it <em>so</em> bad,” he taunted, grinning down at you, his dark curls falling into his eyes.</p><p>“Shut up y’wanker, that’s <em>not</em> what this is,” you exclaimed, but even <em>you</em> knew your argument was feeble.</p><p>“Oh really?  And that’s why you’re undressing me right now innit?  Admit it, [y/n], I think the lady doth protest too much.”</p><p>You paused, his words striking a nerve, hitting a little too close to home, and you looked up at him defiantly.  “Just shut up and fuck me already,” you growled, “this doesn’t mean <em>anything</em>,” you insisted firmly. </p><p>“Oooh, you’re such a bitch, it’s kind of a turn on.  Does the bitch want my cock?” Duncan drawled as you finally managed to unzip his suit the rest of the way and reach down to grab him through his boxers, feeling how hard he was for you and drawing a sharp gasp from him as you pulled him free. </p><p>Before you knew it he was grasping the zipper at your chest and yanking it down, his mouth hot on your neck as he slipped your suit from your shoulders, working it down your hips before fondling you roughly over your tank top and it was your turn to moan, the sound quickly swallowed as his mouth found yours once more, his tongue forcing its way into between your teeth before he finally pulled away to breathe.</p><p>“Turn around for me, luv,” he instructed as he spun you, pressing the side of your face up against the locker, “now pull those knickers down,” he continued, and you hated obeying, but your cunt was throbbing harder now and all you wanted was to be filled.  “Now that’s a good girl,” he purred in your ear, a shiver tearing through you as his breath fanned over your cheek and you gasped as he reached around you, slipping his hand between your legs.</p><p>“<em>Ohhh</em>,” he sighed, pressing his forehead to the nape of your neck, his teeth grazing your skin, “I knew you were lyin’ about wantin’ me, else why would you be so <em>fucking</em> wet, huh darling?” he teased, his fingers circling your clit maddeningly and you let out another shuddering moan as he pushed one digit into you.  “Oh fuck, you’re practically <em>dripping</em>,” he groaned, lust drenching his words.</p><p>“Bend over farther,” he commanded hastily and you did, spreading your legs as far as you could with your jumpsuit round your ankles and you pressed your chest to the lockers, sticking your ass out to give him better access to your pussy, hating how needy he made you feel.</p><p>“Oh, good girl,” he purred and your breathing hitched as he gave your ass a quick slap and you felt the tip of his cock tease your folds, coating himself with your slick before pressing into you slowly, his moan turning you on even further.  “Oh fuck your fanny’s so tight,” he groaned, thrusting in and out slowly as he held your hips steady.  “God, you feel amazing.”</p><p>“Are you always so chatty when you fuck?” you couldn’t help but ask, desperately wanting him to shut up.  “Less talking, more fucking,” you exclaimed, biting your lip to stifle a moan as his hips snapped against your ass.</p><p>“Ahh--!” you gasped, rocking against the lockers, unable to kept quiet.  “F-fuck, Duncan.”</p><p>“Yeah, like that?  You’re such a little slut, <em>protesting</em>, playing <em>so</em> hard t’get, and then turning around and practically begging for it.  Tell me what you want, [y/n],” he drawled, a command in his voice.</p><p>“I want you to fuck me, Duncan,” you hissed, crying out as he thrust into you again <em>hard</em>.</p><p>“You’re gunna have to be quiet if you wanna cum, luv,” he grunted as he began to fuck you in earnest, his hips snapping into you with abandon, his cock hitting you just right, the ridge of his head rubbing against your g-spot to send wave after wave of pleasure through you.</p><p>Fighting back a series of moans you arched back against him as he rut into you, his hand slipping up your body to caress your neck, squeezing just tight enough for you to feel it, your breaths coming harder.  </p><p>“Do you like that, you dirty, kinky girl?” he asked, whispering in your ear, his voice strained with the effort of keeping quiet.  “Do you like when I choke you?”</p><p>“<em>Yes</em>,” you sighed involuntarily, finding to your great surprise that you <em>did</em> enjoy it, heat and arousal flooding you the first time he did it and you wanted <em>more</em>.  “<em>Please</em>, Duncan,” you whined and you wondered if he was grinning, picturing that smug smirk just perfectly.</p><p>“Oh God, you beg so nicely too,” he groaned as his hand tightened around your throat once more, squeezing tighter til you saw little sunbursts, your knees buckling and you jerked as his other hand slipped to your cunt again, mashing his fingers against your little bundle of nerves and rubbing frantically as he continued to pound into your relentlessly from behind.  </p><p>Duncan’s heavy breathing, the lewd slap of skin against skin, and the pounding of your pulse filled your ears and you fleetingly wondered just how far the sounds of your exertions were carrying.  You could feel yourself plateauing, that hovering quivering heat that felt like the calm right before the storm and then suddenly your muscles tensed, your climax gripping you violently, pushing you off that cliff and you fought to keep from crying out, the sweet pain of Duncan’s overstimulation pushing you further as he didn’t stop.</p><p>“Oh <em>fuck</em>,” he hissed as you clenched around him and his grip on your throat loosened, though his fingers on your clit didn’t stop and your legs gave a dangerous wobble, nearly giving out beneath you.</p><p>“Don’t you dare — cum inside me,” you gasped, twisting in his grip to glare at him over your shoulder and he flashed you a strained smile, the look of pleasure on his face disarming you for a moment.</p><p>“Whatever you say, luv,” he groaned, and suddenly he was forcing you forward as he pulled out of you, his cock nestling against your ass before you felt his warm seed spill over your skin, pumping several times before he finally released you.</p><p>“Hold on, let me get that for you,” he murmured, his voice slightly hoarse and then you felt a rough cloth wipe the sticky mess from your backside with a surprising gentleness before you quickly pulled your knickers back up along with your jumpsuit and reluctantly turned around to face him.  The strangely tender look you caught on his face surprised you before his usual smarmy grin quickly returned.  </p><p>“Now that you’ve had a good fuck d’you think you can finally focus now?” he taunted, rewrapping his jumpsuit sleeves around his waist.  “Or… maybe we’ll need t’make this a reoccurring thing to keep that pretty little head of yours clear,” he said poking his finger to your forehead cheekily.</p><p>“Oh, piss off Duncan,” you snapped feebly, brushing his hand away and trying to push past him. </p><p>“Oh, no, I can see it in your eyes, you <em>enjoyed</em> that.  I made you feel <em>good</em>,” he insisted, following you, quickly cutting you off.  “You’re gunna be thinking about my cock for the foreseeable future.”</p><p>Despite your internal protests to the contrary your face burned with the knowledge that you <em>wanted</em> to fuck him again, that once was not going to be enough.  </p><p>“Don’t flatter yourself, Duncan.  You coulda been anyone and this was just a one time thing.”</p><p>“You just keep telling yourself that, luv,” he quipped, completely sure of himself before leaning down to steal a peck to your lips, turning and walking away with a decided pep to his step, whistling cheerily as he went.</p><p>Groaning under your breath you nearly collapsed against the lockers, breathing heavily as the gravity of what you’d just done hit you.  It wasn’t exactly like what you were doing could be considered fraternizing, seeing as you couldn’t stand each other.  <em>Right</em>?</p><p>Groaning again you opened your locker and quickly undressed, taking a very quick, very <em>cold</em> shower before heading back to your bunk, but it didn’t help.  Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, the pleasant ache between your thighs served as a constant reminder of what happened in the locker room with the smug fellow Englishman who it was getting harder for you to convince yourself you hated.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Where's Your Holiday Spirit?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Prompt: Mistletoe</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The holiday festivities were already in full swing around you as you made your way down the station corridor to the main crew lounge, dodging cheerful, if slightly drunken off-duty revelers and greeting several of your friends as they passed to start their shift.</p><p>If you thought the corridors were busy, the sight that awaited you in the lounge was nearly chaotic, celebrations of all sorts colliding in a giant mishmash of cultures and nationalities everywhere you turned.</p><p>Snatches of music filled the air, competing with the din of voices and the underlying drone of conversation while delicious scents wafted from the cafeteria and everywhere the eye could see were twinkling lights and colours.</p><p>It was exciting, and you let yourself wander, finally finding a relatively quiet corner near the large decked out Christmas tree in which to linger, enjoying a cup of eggnog and a gingerbread cookie.</p><p>“Well, well, well, fancy meetin’ you here, luv.”  The familiar English drawl caught your attention and you groaned under your breath as you turned to find none other than Duncan Taylor advancing on you, his signature smarmy grin and unruly dark curls instantly recognizable even in a crowd.</p><p>“Duncan,” you greeted tersely, eyeing him up and down warily as he came to stand next to you, his mossy green eyes dancing in the twinkling lights strung above your head.  He clicked his tongue sadly as he regarded you.</p><p>“Always <em>so</em> hostile, [y/n].  Where’s your holiday spirit?” he mused, grinning as if he’d just told a joke.</p><p>“Oh, I’ve got plenty of holiday spirit,” you said, rolling your eyes, “just none for <em>you</em>,” you exclaimed, flashing him a tight lipped smile, but Duncan merely snorted, amusement painting his features.</p><p>“You wanna know my <em>favourite</em> holiday tradition?” he asked, undeterred, nonchalantly wrapping a long arm around your shoulder as he glanced upward.</p><p>“Not really,” you retorted, shrugging his arm off you, not caring for the way his grin turned decidedly wicked.</p><p>“Oh, c’mon [y/n],” he whined, raising his eyebrows at you, “surely you have a guess, I’ll even give you a hint.”</p><p>Opening your mouth to tell him you really had no idea, your eyes lifted above his mop of curls and you froze -- mistletoe, and you were directly under it.</p><p>“Ah, so you finally noticed,” he quipped with a roguish grin that did things to your pulse, no matter how much you denied it.</p><p>
  <em>Mistletoe?  Dammit, how had you missed that?</em>
</p><p>“Did you know that mistletoe is actually a type of parasitic plant?” you pointed out smugly, throwing Duncan off as he frowned in thought.</p><p>“Well, aren’t you a romantic,” he muttered with a twist of his lips.</p><p>“Oh, as if <em>you</em> are?” you shot back, to which he clapped his hand over his heart in mock surprise.</p><p>“You never know, I might surprise you.”</p><p>“I highly doubt that,” you scoffed, crossing your arms over your chest.</p><p>“So, you’re going to ignore tradition, then?” he asked, gesturing upwards and you cocked an eyebrow at him.</p><p>“You really expect me to kiss you just because we’re both standing under some dumb plant?”</p><p>Duncan shrugged.  “You know, it’s considered bad luck to refuse a kiss beneath the mistletoe, right?  You sure you wanna risk it?”</p><p>“God, you really are working hard to get me to kiss you,” you pointed out incredulously, a strange flutter of excitement gripping you.</p><p>“Again,” he added and you frowned in confusion.</p><p>“Excuse me?”</p><p>“To get you to kiss me… <em>again</em>,” he repeated, his lips curling, bringing the memory back to the forefront of your mind.</p><p>“You’re such a cocky bastard,” you exclaimed, glaring up at him as he leaned in closer, smirking smugly down at you.</p><p>“And you’re cute when you’re all riled up, you know that?  You know what I think?  I think you like it, our banter, our little rows,” he mused, tilting his head, watching you carefully.</p><p>“And what makes you think that?” you countered with a scoff, your pulse spiking, hoping he wouldn’t call your bluff.</p><p>“I seem to remember a time in the locker room not too long ago, <em>after</em> you kissed me,” he mused, lowering his voice, though it was still loud enough to carry in the busy room, “and the way you were moaning my name was—“</p><p>“<em>Duncan</em>!” you hissed, cutting him off, but his smirk only grew.</p><p>“You wanna shut me up, luv?” he quipped, mischief dancing in his green eyes as they pointedly flicked upwards once more toward the mistletoe overhead.  “You know what to do, and I’m pretty sure you remember how <em>effective</em> it was,” he drawled, wetting his lips in anticipation.</p><p>Groaning, you rose up on your toes as your clutched at his lapels, pulling his face to yours, making to kiss him quickly and be done with it, but as soon as you moved to pull back, you felt his hands grip your waist, pulling you closer as he chased your retreating lips, and when he kissed you back you nearly lost your breath.</p><p>Somewhere between insistent and thorough, he deepened the kiss, teasing you and you could taste the alcohol on his tongue as it slid over yours, sending a heady rush of heat through you.</p><p>This time when you pulled back your head swam slightly and it took a second for you to register the whoops and wolf whistles that greeted you, your crew mates definitely enjoying the show, and Duncan grinned.</p><p>“Well, Merry Christmas to me,” he drawled, clearly pleased as he took a step back, though his hands lingered at your waist.  “Hopefully I’ll get the rest of my present later?” he asked pointedly, fixing you with a hopeful look, several of his dark curls falling across his forehead and for a moment you nearly considered his thinly veiled offer, remembering how fucking good it’d felt last time.</p><p>“In your dreams,” you muttered, patting his cheek with a smarmy grin before slipping out of his arms.  </p><p>“Oh, <em>certainly</em>, but you’re so much better in the flesh than my dreams,” he shot back, sending a shiver racing through you, your steps faltering as you tried to walk away.  “But there’s still a few more days til Christmas, maybe there’ll be a gift waiting for me to unwrap under the tree yet.”  With one last cheeky wink he left you standing there, flush with indignation.. and something <em>else</em>.</p><p>“Fucking bastard,” you hissed under your breath, pulling yourself together before stalking to the bar for another strong glass of eggnog, hoping the alcohol would help distract you from the gathering ache between your thighs, but you seriously doubted it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. What a Christmas, huh?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Direct continuation of <i>Where's Your Holiday Spirit?</i>.<br/>Prompt: thigh riding</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>You had no self respect.</em>
</p><p>Or at least, that’s what you kept bitterly telling yourself as you made your way down the corridor toward the main lounge.  At this hour on Christmas eve, most of the crew were asleep, taking advantage of the extra time off, and that suited you just fine, not exactly wanting an audience to your shame.</p><p>As you turned the corner to the lounge, the Christmas tree the only thing lighting the dark room, disappointment filled you as you found the space empty, the one person you’d been looking for not to be found.</p><p><em>No, this is good,</em> you told yourself. <em> This gave you an out. </em> J<em>ust because you hadn’t been able to get Duncan and that stupid kiss beneath the mistletoe… or his proposition shortly thereafter off your mind didn’t mean you had to act on it.  Like you had before...</em></p><p>Taking a deep breath, you gave the soft lights of the tree one last wistful look before resigning yourself to heading back to your bunk for the remainder of the evening when you turned, coming face to face with none other than the man you certainly weren’t looking for.</p><p>“Duncan!” you gasped.</p><p>“[y/n]!” he practically yelped in return, surprise getting the better of him for once, before he quickly regained his composure, fixing his usual shit-eating grin back into place, but for a brief moment you’d seen it -- that flash of genuine surprise and… <em>hope</em>?  Hope that you might have been looking for him as it seemed he was for you.</p><p>“What’re you doing out and about on a night such as tonight, when not even a creature was stirring, or however it goes,” he asked, cocking a smug eyebrow at you.</p><p>“I could ask the same of you,” you pointed out with a shrug, dancing around the real reason you both knew you were out here.</p><p>“It wouldn’t have anythin’ to do with sneaking out to give me an early Christmas present, would it?” he asked, studying you with amusement.</p><p>“Don’t be ridiculous, Duncan,” you scoffed, “I was just going for a-a walk, since I couldn’t sleep,” you lied almost smoothly, bracing for the snarky innuendo he no doubt had ready and waiting on his tongue.</p><p>Instead, he shrugged.  “Fancy a nightcap, then?” he asked, pulling a small bottle of liquor from his back pocket to slosh enticingly in your face.</p><p>Chewing your lip you thought it over.  Though his offer didn’t come with an obvious disgusting proposition like usual, you knew how this was going to end if you said yes; you knew what this entailed.</p><p>
  <em>But wasn’t that what you wanted?  Wasn’t that why you’d been searching for him in the first place?</em>
</p><p>“Yeah, alright,” you said, carefully keeping your expression neutral.</p><p>“Lovely,” he smirked, “I know just the place for it too,” he murmured and you gestured for him to lead the way.</p><p>“Where exactly are we headed?” you asked as you walked and Duncan glanced over at you with a cheeky grin.</p><p>“Someplace quiet, where we won’t be interrupted… unless you’re into that?” he teased when you frowned.</p><p>“I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself, don’tcha think?” you pointed out, “who said I’m planning on shaggin’ you tonight?”</p><p>Duncan shrugged, “I guess we’ll see, won’t we,” he mused, stopping in front of a seldom used supply closet and sliding the door open.  “After you, luv,” he said, stepping aside to let you pass.</p><p>“I can’t see a bloody thing,” you grumbled, banging your shin on a storage container at your feet.</p><p>“There should be a lantern nearby,” Duncan exclaimed, huffing a laugh at your pain.</p><p>Reaching out blindly, you found it and switched it on to the dimmest setting, still grumbling to yourself.</p><p>“Ah, perfect,” Duncan announced, jumping up to sit on a large crate at the back of the room, patting the spot next to him invitingly and you reluctantly sat.</p><p>Twisting the cap off the bottle of whiskey, he took a swig before handing it to you and you followed suit, letting the alcohol warm you as it burned its way down your throat.</p><p>“So,” Duncan prompted and you glanced at him warily, his fingers brushing yours as he took the bottle back.</p><p>“So?” you asked, tilting your head toward him.</p><p>“So, what made you join up?” he asked, the question taking you off guard, not expecting him to actually care about your personal life.  “Let me guess,” he mused, tapping his lip thoughtfully, drawing your eyes there.  “Some noble calling to protect our failing planet?” he asked, his voice thick with sarcasm before he took another drink,” or was it like me, for that sweet sweet paycheck?”</p><p>“Is that the only reason?” you asked instead and Duncan shrugged, leaning back against the wall as he offered you the bottle.</p><p>“Let’s just say, if I could find anything planetside that paid better than this, then I wouldn’t be here,” he answered.</p><p>You nodded.  “Yeah, I guess it's pretty much the same for me,” you mused, “guess we’re stuck in this together, then,” you pointed out wryly, the whiskey in the bottle sloshing as you took another drink, the bottle nearly half empty now.</p><p>“Suppose there’s worse places one could be,” Duncan murmured, glancing at you from the corner of his eye, making you pause, you didn’t think he’d meant you to hear that.  “Maybe we’re not so different after all,” he said, louder, smirking as he took the bottle back.</p><p>Any other time and you probably would’ve bristled at that remark, but maybe it was just the alcohol… or maybe it was something <em>else</em>, but you merely nodded in silent agreement.</p><p>“So… you, uhm, got anyone back home waiting for you?” you found yourself asking, unsure what had prompted all this curiosity in you.</p><p>Duncan snorted, “y’mean, like a girl or somethin’?” he asked and your face heated.</p><p>“No, I meant, like family,” you clarified, not caring for the skeptical look he threw you.</p><p>“Uh huh,” he murmured, his lips twisting into a grin.</p><p>“Ah, no.  No, not really,” he answered after a moment.  “And no, I don’t have a girl, or anyone else planetside waitin’ for me, just in case you’re curious,” he added coyly.</p><p>“That’s <em>not</em> what I meant,” you repeated, “though that’s not hard to believe,” you muttered, snatching the whiskey back, “I don’t see how anyone could stand to date you.”</p><p>“Wow,” Duncan scoffed, covering his heart with his hand.  “Tell me how you really feel about me, why don’tcha?  No, no, don’t hold back on my account,” he insisted wryly.</p><p>Sighing, you tilted your head to look at him, a long suffering expression on your face, though you almost felt bad… <em>almost</em>.  “Oh, c’mon Duncan, you know I can’t stand you.”</p><p>His thick eyebrows rose nearly to his curls.  “Oh?  Could’ve fooled me,” he replied lightly, amusement dancing in his eyes.  “If that’s the case, then why do we keep finding ourselves in this situation, then?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.</p><p>“What <em>situation</em>?” you asked, as if you didn’t know, freezing as he leaned in, his lips pressing to yours in answer, your breath catching in your throat as you found yourself kissing him back, slowly at first, though growing in fervor.</p><p>Before you knew it, you’d climbed into his lap, straddling him as his arms snaked around your waist, trapping you against him, his tongue warring with yours.  He tasted strongly of whiskey, but you realized you probably did as well, your head swimming slightly, and not just from the booze.</p><p>“This situation,” Duncan murmured as you caught your breath, his mossy eyes boring into yours.  “See, I can’t help but notice I’m getting some mixed signals here.”</p><p>Opening your mouth to ready a comeback, it died on your tongue as Duncan shifted his hips beneath you, the bulge in his pants pressing against your core and you barely bit back the moan that bubbled out of your chest, Duncan’s cheeky grin flashing in the dimly lit room.</p><p>“Just admit you might not hate me as much as you let on, huh,” he pressed and you bit your lip.</p><p>“Are we gunna shag, or what?” you asked instead, a flustered huff entering your voice and Duncan barked a laugh.</p><p>“Oh, believe me darling, we’ll get to that, but first I wanna unwrap my Christmas present and play with it a little first,” he drawled, his hands lingering at your waist by the hem of your shirt.</p><p>Begrudgingly, you lifted your arms, letting him peel it up over your head before he reached behind you, unclasping your bra to bare your tits, his hands immediately covering them, kneading and pinching, rolling your pert nipples between his fingers as he watched your face.</p><p>“That feel good, princess?” he asked and you let out a shaky breath, the aching thrum between your legs unable to be ignored any longer, your arousal reflected in your eyes, your pupils dilating with want.</p><p>“<em>Duncan</em>,” you whined, a petulant edge to your voice that only made his grin grow.</p><p>“Oh, don’t worry, luv, you’ll be bouncin’ on my cock soon enough, but first--”  His hands left your chest to circle your waist, shifting you so you were now only straddling one of his thin thighs.  “If you wanna get off on my cock, you’re gunna have to get off on my thigh first,” he drawled and your mouth fell open.  </p><p>“I wanna see how desperate you are for it, how much you want me, to be filled by me.  How does that sound, pet?” he taunted, his expression darkening with lust as his eyes bored into yours, the new pet name sending a shiver through you.</p><p><em>You could just get up and leave, you know,</em> a tiny voice in the back of your head whispered, and you hesitated, considering it.  <em>But you don’t want to, do you?  Maybe Duncan’s right--</em></p><p><em>No</em>, you replied, cutting the voice off.  <em>All you wanted was to get off, that’s it.  There was no other reason it had to be with Duncan other than he was willing.</em></p><p>“I’m waiting, sweetheart,” he taunted, giving your nipple a tweak and you jumped, refocusing, your lips twitching into a frown.  </p><p>Rolling your hips, you ground slowly against his leg, snaking your arms over his shoulders to stabilize yourself, a shuddering breath leaving your lips.  Trying to ignore the pleased smirk he wore, you chased your pleasure, grinding harder against him, your breathing growing heavy, but damn did the friction feel good against your aching cunt.</p><p>“That’s right, such a needy thing, can’t get enough of me,” Duncan murmured in your ear, his lips brushing your jaw as his curls brushed your cheek and you gasped as he bit down on the sensitive flesh at the nape of your neck.  You could feel his tongue move against you before he planted his lips to suck, the sensation driving you mad as you writhed against his leg, your soaking panties starting to rub you raw, but you didn’t stop.</p><p>“God, I can feel how wet you are through the leg of my trousers, you’re gunna leave a wet spot, how lewd,” he purred, delighted, his hands at your waist helping you.  “Hurry up then, the sooner you cum, the sooner I can ruin that tight little twat of yours.  So, come on, luv, cum for me,” he encouraged and with a shudder, you did, the friction too much, pushing you over the edge and you rode through it, Duncan capturing your lips as you finished.</p><p>“There, now,” he drawled as you gasped, catching your breath.  “That was fuckin’ hot,” he said, pride filling you at his praise, followed by disdain that he’d made you feel that way.  </p><p>Slipping off his lap you shimmied your pants and ruined knickers down as he freed his cock and you let your gaze fall to it as you wet your lips, the idea of seeing him squirm for once, highly appealing, til you realized what you were thinking, snapping yourself out of it.</p><p>“C’mon, sit on ol’ Saint Nicky’s lap,” he teased, patting his lap and you shot him a disgusted frown.</p><p>“Do <em>not</em> put it like that,” you exclaimed as he laughed, catching your arm and pulling you closer til you were straddling him once more, hovering over him, the tip of his cock brushing against you temptingly.</p><p>“Come here, luv,” he murmured, the strain in his voice belying how much he wanted this, wanted <em>you</em>, and as you eased yourself onto him, wriggling your hips slightly, wanting to tease him back a little, the pleased sigh that left his lips made your stomach flip and you bit your lip as you watched his face, the way his mouth fell open and his long eyelashes fluttered.</p><p>“Oh, <em>fuck</em>, you feel bloody amazing.”  When he opened his eyes once more, however, the dominant Duncan was back, his predatory grin returning.  </p><p>Smirking, he thrust up into you suddenly, pulling a surprised gasp from your lips as he pushed deeper into you and you moaned brokenly as you rolled your hips, grinding against him, writhing in his lap, focusing on your pleasure.  </p><p>“<em>Oh, Duncan</em>,” you whispered breathlessly, your eyes fluttering shut, and he lifted you, urging you to bounce on him, his fingers biting into your hips as he guided you, your tits bouncing as he fucked you.  </p><p>“<em>Ahh</em>--!” you cried, Duncan’s lips crashing into yours muffling you and you kissed him back sloppily, drawing his bottom lip between your teeth to bite roughly, drawing a hiss from him.</p><p>“Oh, you <em>bitch</em>,” he gasped, his hooded eyes catching yours as you continued to bounce, pleasure coursing through you with each rough thrust.  “Do that again,” he demanded and you obeyed, relishing in the guttural groan that left him as he forced you closer, holding you tightly as you nipped at him, a gasped giggle leaving your lips.</p><p>“Oh, God, what you do to me,” he murmured, his voice strained and you wondered if he was as close as you were, that hovering white hot pleasure just waiting for you around the corner.</p><p>“Duncan, I’m gunna-gunna cum,” you keened with a gasp, plateauing almost as soon as the words were out of your mouth, tensing in his embrace, your muscles going rigid even as you continued to ride him, and though you’d not wanted him to cum inside before, you were past caring at this point, a choked whimper nearly leaving your lips before you clamped your mouth shut as Duncan gave one last deep jerking thrust, crushing you against him with a grunt, his face buried in your chest as he came inside you.</p><p>For a long moment neither of you moved, focusing on catching your breath and you realized you were holding Duncan against you just as fiercely as he held you, your hand tangled in his mussed curls and finally you felt him loosen his hold on you, tilting his chin up to look at you, a strange expression on his face you weren’t used to and it seemed as though he were readying himself to say something that might complicate your already complicated feelings further.</p><p>Suddenly afraid, you cleared your throat, quickly extricating yourself from his arms and slipping out of his lap, hastily reaching for your discarded clothes and dressing, trying hard not to think about how much you’d wanted to kiss him instead of running back to your bunk.</p><p>“Well, Happy Christmas to me,” Duncan chuckled, tucking himself back into his pants before looking up, a confused frown twisting his features as he watched you.  “What’s the rush, luv?” he asked.</p><p>“I, uh, this was a mistake,” you stuttered.</p><p>“Whoa, whoa,” he exclaimed, catching your arm before you could hurry for the door.  “What’s gotten into you?”</p><p>“This, what we’re doing here,” you said, gesturing between the two of you, “it’s <em>wrong</em>.  If anyone finds out about this, we’re both--”</p><p>“Hey, no one’s gunna find out,” Duncan exclaimed sharply, not letting you go, though you feebly struggled to pull away, shaking your head fiercely. </p><p>“We can’t do this again, Duncan,” you insisted, silently pleading with him to let you go.  “I don’t even know why I’m shacking up with a guy who’s clearly only in it for the sex.”</p><p>Duncan scoffed, his grip on your arm finally loosening.  “You’re the one who’s always saying how much you can’t stand me.  If anyone’s only in it for the sex, sweetheart, it’s clearly you.”</p><p>Huffing incredulously, you turned on your heel and stalked to the door before he could follow.</p><p>“[y/n]!  [y/n], <em>hey</em>!” he called after you, but you didn’t stop, unsure exactly where you were going, just that you couldn’t be around him a moment longer, a flurry of emotions urging you on.</p><p>
  <em>What a Christmas, huh?</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Jealous</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Prompt: "I'm not jealous."</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been a little more than a week or two, you’d sort of lost track, since your last clandestine hookup with Duncan had ended in disaster and you’d started giving him the cold shoulder, practically ignoring him. </p><p>For several days after, Duncan had been insufferable, cornering you at every chance, trying to get you to talk to him, but each time you’d successfully evaded him, leaving him scowling frustratedly after you as you’d walked away.</p><p>After that he seemed to have taken the hint, leaving you to your work, only speaking to you in a professional manner, no more snarky banter, no more obnoxious propositions, and your crew mates were starting to talk.  You heard them muttering to each other in hushed whispers that something was wrong — this wasn’t like either of you.</p><p>And at first you felt… relieved.</p><p>You thought getting away from Duncan Taylor and his smug pretentious attitude was exactly what you needed to get your head straight.  You’d fucked him, <em>twice</em> — he should be out of your system by now.</p><p>
  <em>So why wasn’t he?</em>
</p><p>Why was it the further you kept away from him, the more your brain kept returning to those memories, craving his touch.</p><p>Then, on New Year’s Eve, you’d braced yourself as you made your way to the crew lounge for the night’s festivities, expecting Duncan to be back to his normal self, following you around all night and trying to get back into your pants.</p><p>But to your surprise, as soon as you arrived, he barely even spared you a second glance, though he certainly made a show of flirting with every <em>other</em> woman in the room, even going so far as to look rather cozy with one, the sight alone making your ears burn.</p><p><em>You should be relieved,</em> you reminded yourself.  It was obvious he’d moved on.  You were free of him.</p><p>
  <em>So why did you feel so jealous?</em>
</p><p><em>I’m </em>not<em> jealous</em>, you told yourself firmly, but after only an hour you couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him any longer and you silently slipped out, returning to your computer, deciding to catch up on your work to keep your mind busy.  However, as you worked, you kept finding yourself half hoping that Duncan might follow, having noticed you leave and come to pester you, to pull you away somewhere secluded.</p><p>But he didn’t.</p><p>And from there it only got worse.  Each day your conflicted feelings only grew and you <em>hated</em> it.</p><p>
  <em>Admit it, you miss him.  You miss that smug grin and those cheeky comebacks.  You miss his rough hands and how he makes you blush.  You miss how he used to look at you…</em>
</p><p>Attempting to ignore these thoughts, you stifled a yawn as you made your way to your workstation for your shift, one of the first to arrive, passing Duncan’s desk as you took your seat.  Leaning back in his chair, he had his feet propped up on the edge of his desk as he played some video game or other, and he glanced at you briefly before returning to his game, his eyes catching yours.</p><p>For a moment you thought he might greet you, but instead he craned his neck to look past you at the French programmer, Claire, you thought her name was, her computer a couple workstations away from yours.</p><p>“Oi, Claire!” he called obnoxiously and you grimaced, keeping your eyes purposefully on your monitor.  “You wanna go out some time?  I’m a proper gentleman,” he called, directing a flirty smirk her way.</p><p>Glancing over at her surreptitiously, you watched her roll her eyes.  <em>She wasn’t into it.</em></p><p>“Not a chance, Taylor,” she scoffed.</p><p>“Oh, come now luv, I’d treat you right, show ya a night you wouldn’t soon forget.”</p><p>Though Claire still seemed uninterested, you spotted a slight flush creep across her face and the shit-eatting grin on Duncan’s lips was almost too much for you to take.</p><p>“How about you, darling?” Duncan called, twisting behind him to chat up Eliza, another one of your fellow analysts.  “Ever been with an Englishman?” he joked, catching her eye.</p><p>Your stomach clenching, you spun your chair suddenly and shoved Duncan’s feet from the edge of his desk.  “Oh my God, will you shut the fuck up?” you snapped, cutting off his exclamation as he nearly fell out of his chair.  “No one wants to hear your shite, y’wanker,” you hissed, not caring for the knowing look he threw you in response.</p><p>“You mean <em>you</em> don’t want to hear it,” he countered, his lips curling into a sneer, as if he’d caught you.  “You’re jealous,” he announced, folding his arms behind his head as he once more leaned back, lowering his voice so only you could hear him.</p><p>“I’m <em>not</em> jealous,” you replied firmly.  “You wanna know why?  Because there’s <em>nothing</em> to be jealous of,” you exclaimed.  “It’s not like anyone’s jumped at the opportunity to jump your bones.”</p><p>Duncan merely shrugged.  “I wouldn’t say that, sweetheart,” he muttered, his eyes dancing with amusement, and for a moment your stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch.</p><p><em>He’s bluffing</em>, you told yourself, but you weren’t sure you believed it.</p><p>“Yeah right, Taylor,” you muttered, though your voice wavered slightly.</p><p>“What, don’t believe me?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.  “Now I said I wouldn’t compare, but…” he trailed off, giving you an appraising look as he clicked his tongue, shaking his head, “you <em>might</em> wanna learn some new tricks, luv.”</p><p>Mouth falling open in shock, it was lucky you couldn’t quite formulate an immediate comeback as just then the lead science officer stepped into the room.</p><p>“[y/l/n], Taylor,” she exclaimed, drawing your attention and Duncan quickly sat up at attention.</p><p>“Yes?” you both asked at the same time, a spike of worry ripping through you at the stern bite to Ute’s voice.</p><p>“In my office, please.”  Without another word she turned on her heel and walked away, trusting you’d follow.  </p><p>Sharing a nervous glance with Duncan, you scrambled to your feet to follow Ute.  You wouldn’t have been so worried if she’d only asked for <em>him</em> -- what with the way he’d been acting lately, <em>trying to get under your skin</em>, you wouldn’t be surprised if he had a stack of sexual harassment and fraternization reports filed against him.  But if you were included, all you could think was that someone had found out about you and Duncan and your little trysts.</p><p><em>Fuck</em>, you thought, you couldn’t lose your job because of him.  For a fuckin’ shag, no less, no matter <em>how</em> good it’d been.  <em>Fuck fuck fuck.</em></p><p>As soon as you got to Ute’s office, you stood anxiously next to Duncan as Ute rounded her desk to face you, crossing her arms over her chest.  “We have a problem--” she began and you could practically feel your heart leap into your throat.  Even Duncan looked like he was sweating a little, his face going pale.</p><p>“You two are my best analysts on the team,” Ute continued and you tensed further, waiting for the axe to fall.  “Which is why I need you two for this assignment.” </p><p>As soon as the words were out of her mouth, an instant rush of relief flooded you and you sighed practically in tandem with Duncan.  “What assignment is that?” you asked, now able to focus, what with the threat of being sacked no longer looming over you.</p><p>Ute pulled out her holotablet to show you.  “There’s a faulty atmospheric control dampener for the station, located on this external panel here,” she explained, bringing up a schematic of the station with the panel’s location.  “The programming is severely out of date and needs to be updated.”</p><p>“Alright, can’t we just do it from the command center?” Duncan asked with a thoughtful frown and from the expression on Ute’s face you were beginning to understand.  “Unfortunately, wherever the station was built there was an oversight and the only way to access the panel’s controls--”</p><p>“Is from the panel itself,” you finished with a sigh.</p><p>“Wait a second,” Duncan exclaimed, a slightly panicked look in his mossy eyes.  “Are you saying that to update this program, we have to go outside to the panel itself?”</p><p>“Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying, Taylor,” Ute replied sternly.</p><p>“That sounds more like a job for-for <em>engineering</em>!  Not analysts like us!” he spluttered and you couldn’t help but agree with him.  When you took this job you weren’t exactly signing up to risk your life in a spacesuit.</p><p>“Usually, yes,” Ute admitted, “and we do have a team building an updated replacement, but until then we need to update this to tide us over and I don’t trust anyone but you two to reprogram this.”</p><p>Ute’s expression brooked no nonsense, which was how you found yourself climbing into a bulky spacesuit next to Duncan, preparing to be suspended in anti-gravity several million miles from Earth, tethered to the International Space Station by nothing more than a line of cable.</p><p>What could go wrong?</p><p>——</p><p>As long as you kept your eyes on the panel, you were fine.  It was the rest of it that made your vision swim and your fingers tremble, so you focused on how annoying it was to try to program while wearing such thick gloves.</p><p>Though it was better than catching sight of all that inky nothingness and then dwelling on the fact that it would be so easy for you to just drift away into the expanse.</p><p>“You scared?” Duncan’s voice echoed through your headset, the channel a private one.</p><p>“No,” you lied, a touch too quickly to sound truthful, but Duncan didn’t look any better.  “Are <em>you</em>?” you asked.</p><p>“Of-fuckin’-course I am!” he exclaimed, surprising you with his honesty.  “I didn’t fuckin’ sign up for this.”</p><p>“Yeah,” you breathed, agreeing with him.  “So let’s focus on getting this fuckin’ done so we can get back inside, huh?” you urged and for once Duncan didn’t argue with you.</p><p>Opening the auxiliary keyboard, Duncan got to work next to you, his eyes scanning over each line of code, searching for the outdated sequences.  “I noticed you leave during the New Year’s party, where’d you go?” he asked suddenly, taking you off guard.</p><p>“Are we really talking about this <em>now</em>?” you demanded exasperatedly, your eyes flicking over to him.</p><p>“Yeah, why not?  You’re kinda stuck out here with me,” he said, amusement in his voice.</p><p>“I left,” you answered simply and Duncan rolled his eyes.  </p><p>“Well, obviously,” he sighed exasperatedly.  “Shame, really.  I quite wanted a midnight kiss.”</p><p>“Oh please, I’m sure you found <em>someone</em> to give you one,” you huffed, your attention not straying from the small screen before you.</p><p>“Well… I didn’t,” he admitted, drawing your eyes sharply.</p><p>“But you said—“</p><p>“I made it up, didn’t I?” he said, no trace of amusement on his face now.</p><p>“So you<em> didn’t </em>sleep with anyone else?” you pressed, frowning.</p><p>“No,” Duncan repeated slowly.  “I’m a bit curious why it matters so much to you, though.”</p><p>Pursing your lips, you avoided his curious gaze.  “And I’m curious why you tried so <em>hard</em> to make me jealous,” you grumbled, the thick gloves of your space suit making you grimace.</p><p>Next to you, Duncan’s face lit up.  “So you <em>were</em> jealous!” he cried triumphantly.  “I knew it!”</p><p>“No, I—!” but it was too late for you to keep denying it, no use trying to hide it any longer.  Before you could say more however, Duncan gave another excited ‘<em>whoop</em>’ and you glanced back at the panel’s screen, finding you’d finished.</p><p>“Oh thank fuckin’ God,” he sighed, flipping the keyboard back into the panel.  “Now let’s get the fuck outta here, huh?”</p><p>As you pushed away from the panel your foot slipped from the thin ledge and you lost your grip, your leverage failing.  “Duncan!” you cried as you began to float from the edge of the station, panic setting in.</p><p>Quickly grasping your tether, Duncan held you in place, keeping you from floating any further.</p><p>“Gotcha!” he exclaimed, reeling you back in, but you could barely hear him over the rush of blood in your ears, your pulse pounding too loudly.  Your vision swam and breathing became hard as you tried, but you felt Duncan’s arm wrap awkwardly around you, hauling you back to the airlock with him.</p><p>“Almost there, I’ve got you [y/n].  It’ll be alright,” he exclaimed, his voice cutting through the buzzing that filled your ears.</p><p>Before you knew it, gravity re-engaged and you sunk to your knees, feeling much too heavy.  Clawing at the release for your helmet, you gasped a deep breath as soon as you lifted it from your head to toss away.</p><p>“[y/n]?  [y/n], you alright?” Duncan exclaimed, grabbing your suit and giving you a shake, til your eyes focused on him, his eyes wide with worry.</p><p>“I’m alright, I’m alright,” you gasped, clutching at him, needing something steady to hold on to as you finally focused on his face, the look in his emerald eyes nearly as wild as the way his curls stood out at strange angles.</p><p>“You saved me,” you murmured, awe creeping into your voice, and before Duncan could answer, you were kissing him.</p><p>Without hesitation, his hands flew to your face as his lips moved just as eagerly against yours.  “So I take it you’re done givin’ me the cold shoulder, then?” he asked, leaning in closer, searching your face.</p><p>“For now.  Are you done flirting with everything female that moves just to get a rise outta me?” you countered.</p><p>“Ha!  I knew you were jealous,” he repeated.</p><p>“Duncan, you’re on thin ice—“</p><p>Before you could finish however, Duncan’s lips were back on yours, effectively cutting your words off before pulling back to look you in the eye.</p><p>“Ah, but they didn’t present the challenge you do, luv.  I like how you keep me on my toes.”</p><p>“I like that too,” you admitted reluctantly.</p><p>“So what d’ya say we give this… whatever it is another go?” he asked, leaning in again, his eyes flicking down to your lips.</p><p>“Whatever this is?” you mused as he watched you expectantly.  Before you could answer, you heard footsteps rushing down the corridor and you looked up to see Ute and several other station officers hurrying toward you.</p><p>“What happened?  Are you alright?” Ute exclaimed, looking over you, her eyes wide.</p><p>“I slipped on the edge.  I panicked,” you exclaimed sheepishly.  “If it hadn’t been for Duncan…”</p><p>“Oh please, you were still tethered, you woulda been fine.”</p><p>Heaving a heavy sigh, Ute ran her hand down her face.  “Right, well, [y/n], as soon as you can I want you to report to the med bay for a check up,” she commanded though you opened your mouth to argue.  “And <em>you</em>,” she continued, her sharp gaze swinging next to Duncan.  “Make sure she gets there.”</p><p>“Yes, ma’am,” he answered, his lips quirking with amusement as he glanced back at you.</p><p>“Good,” Ute remarked, eyeing you both sternly before turning to leave.</p><p>As soon as you were alone once more, Duncan pulled you back into his arms.  “You never did give me an answer,” he pointed out and you couldn’t help but grin, noticing how desperate he was to hear what you had to say.</p><p>“Hmm, I think we should give it a probationary period before we get in over our heads again,” you mused, your lips twisting wryly, enjoying the way Duncan’s expression darkened slightly.</p><p>“What does <em>that</em> even mean?” he demanded, his grip on your waist tightening, his lips twitching into a frown.</p><p>“It means… <em>maybe</em>,” you teased, grinning wickedly before pressing a quick peck to his lips, his mouth hanging open incredulously.  “Come on, I need to get to the medical wing,” you said, pulling out of his grip and standing to finish shimmying out of your spacesuit.</p><p>“Hey, wait a second!  That’s not a real answer!” Duncan exclaimed, hurriedly trying to extricate himself from his suit as well and nearly losing his balance.</p><p>“Yeah, well, I haven’t exactly made up my mind yet.  Maybe you can persuade me,” you teased, throwing him a meaningful glance over your shoulder, enjoying being the one in control for a change.</p><p>You already knew how this would end, but you wanted to keep Duncan guessing a little while longer first.  </p><p>At least things were back to normal.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Still Here</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Prompt: running hands thru hair + running your finger down their spine + sharing secrets + morning kisses</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been a couple days since your near death experience and though the lead medical officer had cleared you for duty, whispers seemed to follow you, and you had to admit, it was getting on your nerves.</p><p>Not only was the station small enough as it was for news to travel fast, but nothing even relatively as exciting had happened in a while, so you were the hot news.  Luckily there was at least one person you could trust to act normal, well, as normal as he could be, around you.  </p><p>Ever since his daring rescue and that passionate kiss you’d shared after, Duncan had been back to his usual flirtatious snark, and thankfully only with <em>you</em>.  Though you had to admit it was obvious now, to you at least, that there were feelings there -- on both sides, even if neither of you wanted to admit it just yet.  You just weren’t sure <em>how</em> <em>deep</em> they went, and while part of you wanted to chase them down the rabbit hole with abandon, the logical side kept nagging you, telling you to stop.</p><p>
  <em>If you’re not careful you’re gunna get slapped with a fraternization warning and possibly get yourself reassigned.  Is he worth that?</em>
</p><p>Maybe not, but you wanted him anyway.</p><p></p><div class="media-holder media-holder-draggable media-holder-hr">
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</div><p>And once you admitted that to yourself there was no stopping you.  Gripped with impulsiveness, you found yourself hurrying through the station’s halls, searching for the insufferable Englishman that you couldn’t get off your mind.</p><p>“Ah [y/n], there you are,” he exclaimed jovially as you found him at his desk, a game controller in his hand.  “To what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow at you.  “Or perhaps you need my assistance with something?” he continued, a hopeful grin appearing on his face.</p><p>Leaning atop his monitor you flashed him a sly smirk of your own, enjoying being the one to initiate the flirting for once.</p><p>“Actually, it was something I was thinking I could help <em>you</em> with,” you said innocently, in direct opposition to your coy expression.</p><p>“<em>Oh</em>?” Duncan asked, his brows rising as he sat forward in his chair.  “You certainly have my attention,” he exclaimed, pushing his seat back and dropping his controller.</p><p>“Good,” you quipped, pushing off his computer.  “Meet me in ten?” you said, lowering your voice and giving him a meaningful look.</p><p>You didn’t have to tell him where to meet you, he already knew.</p><p>And as soon as he shut the storage room door behind him your mouth was on his, your hands tangling in the soft fabric of his t-shirt, pulling him closer and Duncan moaned into your mouth, surprised at your tenacity.</p><p>“Well, that’s a warm welcome,” he exclaimed breathlessly, his breath catching further as you untied the sleeves of his jumpsuit knotted at his waist, your hand reaching into his boxer briefs to palm his swiftly growing erection.</p><p>“Not that I am complaining in th’slightest, luv, but what’s gotten into you?” he gasped, pressing his back to the door to stabilize himself as your lips left his, quirking into a mischievous grin as you knelt before him.</p><p>Looking up at him, his cock in your hand, your grin grew.</p><p>“Just wanted to thank you for saving my life th’other day,” you murmured, licking a broad swipe up his shaft from his base and feeling him shudder beneath you before teasingly circling his head with your tongue, his mouth falling open.</p><p>“I would say y’don’t need t’thank me, but— <em>oh fuck</em>— on second thought,” he gasped, his voice slightly strangled as you wrapped your lips around him, taking him into your mouth as far as you could before the tip of his cock was hitting the back of your throat, drawing a heavy groan from him.</p><p>Pulling his cock from your mouth, you glanced up at him sharply.  “You’re gunna hafta be quiet if you wanna cum, D,” you exclaimed, repeating his own words back to him from your first illicit fuck in the locker room, and Duncan huffed a laugh.</p><p>“Cheeky little slut aren’t you?” he muttered, tangling his hand in your hair, swiftly turning the tables on you and once more taking control, but you let him fuck your mouth, because ultimately that was what you’d wanted when you’d led him there.</p><p>By the time he’d finished, coming in your mouth with a soft whine, his seed pumping down your throat, your cunt was aching, your knickers no doubt soaked through, but when Duncan attempted to unzip your jumpsuit to repay the favour, you took his hand and shook your head as you rose to your feet.</p><p>“No, this was about you,” you insisted, “besides, we need to get back to our posts, Duncan,” you murmured, though you didn’t know how you expected yourself to be able to focus on work when you were <em>this</em> turned on.</p><p>At your words his eyebrows shot up in disbelief and he pulled you against him.  “Y’sure?”</p><p>When you nodded, he frowned slightly before shrugging, pressing a kiss to your lips.  </p><p>The rest of the day was torture and while Duncan looked relaxed as could be as he worked behind you, the kind of relaxation you feel post release, <em>you</em> on the other hand couldn’t stop thinking about slipping away to the bathroom to rub one out, too distracted to get much work done.</p><p>——</p><p>You hadn’t noticed when Duncan had left and you gave a start as you finally finished working, spinning your chair to find his empty.</p><p>“Well, that’s just lovely,” you muttered under your breath as you rubbed at your weary eyes, grainy from staring at your monitor for so long.  You’d thought things were different now after what you’d been through together, but he seemed rather content to just accept your blowjob and then disappear.</p><p>
  <em>You were the one to refuse when he’d offered to repay your favour, remember?</em>
</p><p>Yeah, well, maybe you were just a fool—</p><p>When your computer gave a little ding, you frowned, turning back to it, wondering who was messaging you.</p><p>“I have something for you.”</p><p>You frowned at the unfamiliar IP address, confused for a moment before a second IM appeared on your screen.</p><p>“You know where to meet me.”</p><p><em>Duncan</em>.</p><p>Without really thinking, you shut off your computer and stood, slipping down the hall in the opposite direction of the crew quarters, instead heading back for your secret little storage compartment rendezvous, wondering what Duncan was up to.</p><p>When the door slid open you didn’t see him at first and you frowned.  Maybe you’d misinterpreted the message.</p><p>“Duncan?” you called softly, glancing around.</p><p>“Back here,” came his reply and you followed his voice, ducking beneath the shelf half hidden by a row of storage containers.  </p><p>On the other side, hidden from the door you found him waiting.  He’d set up a small portable mattress and you cocked an eyebrow at the sight.</p><p>“What’s this then?” you asked, biting back a grin as Duncan stood, pulling you closer.</p><p>“What’s it look like, luv?  Don’t tell me you’re that daft,” he teased, leaning in to kiss you.</p><p>“Where did you even find a spare mattress?  How did you get it here unnoticed?” </p><p>“I have my ways,” he murmured mysteriously, grinning against your lips.  “Now, why don’t you take off that garish jumpsuit so I can thank you properly for earlier?”</p><p>“Duncan—“ you protested, but he was already easing your zipper down, his mouth moving down your neck, coaxing forth a soft moan.</p><p>“I could see how uncomfortable you were all day, you must have really been turned on from sucking my cock.  And I hafta tell you, I’m kinda touched you’d put yourself through all that just for my sake,” he murmured, sliding your uniform from your shoulders and working it down your hips til it fell in a pile around your ankles.</p><p>As he nipped at your throat his hands wandered, divesting you of your bra before sliding down the front of your panties to feel how wet you still were.</p><p>“Ooh, I was right,” he mused, helping you step out of the clothes at your feet and lowering you to the mattress, crouching to untie your boots and remove them as well, pausing to kiss each of your ankles.</p><p>“Are you gunna undress as well, Taylor?” you asked, pushing yourself up to your elbows as you watched him, anticipation coursing through you.</p><p>“If that’s what you want, luv.  Can’t get enough of my body, huh?” he chuckled smugly while you rolled your eyes, but that didn’t stop you from watching him undress before crawling back over you.</p><p>“Now, say please,” he instructed, his fingers skimming over you as he held your gaze and you stared back defiantly.</p><p>
  <em>Oh, you wanted him to ruin you alright, but you didn’t want to give in the moment he said ‘jump’.</em>
</p><p>“Why don’t you make me,” you purred, made bolder by the hunger behind his eyes.</p><p>“Mmm, it doesn’t work like that, sweetheart.  I’ve already had my release, I can wait all night, but you…” he trailed off with a smirk and a cock of his head, his fingers lightly trailing down the crotch of your soaked panties and over your clothed sex, his grin growing as you shuddered at his touch.</p><p>“I dunno, it looks like you may be getting a little excited again, yourself,” you pointed out, your gaze flicking to the growing bulge in his underwear.</p><p>Clearing his throat, Duncan shrugged, pulling back.  “All I asked for was one little word, but if you want to play hard to get, princess…”</p><p>Panicking, you reached for him— “Please!”</p><p>At your exclamation he stopped, a roguish grin splitting his face.</p><p>“See, that wasn’t hard, now was it?” he mused, surging forward to claim your lips in an almost bruising kiss as he yanked your panties down and tossed them away.</p><p>This time when he pulled back you let him, watching him part your legs and settle between them as he wet his lips.</p><p>“Now it’s my turn t’return the favour,” Duncan murmured and you gasped as he kissed your mound, his tongue delving your folds almost eagerly.</p><p>“Ohhh, <em>Duncan</em>,” you sighed, letting your head fall back as his tongue moved against you, warm and wet and insistent.</p><p>“That’s right, sweetheart, let me hear how much you like it,” he murmured, lifting his face just enough to glance up at you.  “Bury those lovely fingers in my hair,” he instructed and you obeyed, giving his wild curls an experimental tug, enjoying the deep moan that rumbled in his throat as he devoured your cunt.</p><p>This was the first time Duncan had gone down on you, and what he lacked in precision, he certainly made up for with fervor.  You’d never had anyone eat you out like <em>this</em> before, and before you knew it you were arching into your orgasm, desperately pressing your cunt against his face for even just a little bit more friction, a soft whine escaping your lips as you held back the rest of your cries.</p><p>“Oh, my God,” you panted, twitching at the wet kiss Duncan pressed to the inside of your thigh before climbing atop you, kissing his way back up.</p><p>“Oh luv, you taste so sweet, I almost didn’t wanna stop,” he murmured, pausing at your breast to flick his tongue against your peaked nipple, causing another jerk.</p><p>“Thank you,” you breathed before he finally kissed you, and you moaned, tasting your own essence on his lips.</p><p>“Oh, you’re very welcome, pet, but I’m not done with you yet,” he drawled, sending a shiver through you.</p><p>By the time he’d made you come again, pounding you into the tiny mattress, you were completely spent and blissfully satisfied.  It had been several weeks since your last shag and you hadn’t realized how pent up you’d been since then.  How much you’d missed Duncan’s cock.</p><p>“How d’you feel, luv?” Duncan asked, rolling toward you to scoop you into his arms and you let him hold you against his chest, his long legs curling around your prone form.</p><p>“Exhausted,” you answered, unable to keep the sleepy grin from your face as you glanced over your shoulder at him, your eyes flicking to his.  “You fuck me so good, D,” you murmured, snuggling closer, pulling his arms tighter around your waist.  “You’re so rough.”</p><p>“You like it,” he pointed out with a soft chuckle, his lips brushing the shell of your ear as he nuzzled into your hair.</p><p>“Maybe,” you replied coyly, “but you’re awful soft now,” you pointed out, somewhat surprised at the tenderness he was showing you.</p><p>“Yeah, well, I’m pretty beat, myself,” he huffed and you didn’t press him, instead letting your eyes droop shut in his embrace.</p><p>——</p><p>“[y/n]?” Duncan asked, not having felt her stir for some time.  Breathing deeply, he lost himself in the smell of her shampoo that yet clung to her, mingling with the heavy scent of sex permeating the small room as he reached up to run his fingers through her hair, letting them trail down her neck and spine before planting his lips to the base of her neck.</p><p>“How are you so <em>bloody addicting</em>?” he murmured, mostly to himself and she moaned softly, arching against him at his touch, her soft skin against his maddening and soothing all at once.</p><p>He’d never imagined their little rivalry, all their flirting, their playful and <em>not so playful</em> spats would have ended up <em>here</em>, her half asleep in his arms, blissfully fucked out with no intention of running off like she had last time.</p><p>
  <em>What was this feeling tangling his stomach in knots?  </em>
</p><p>It had been building since their first <em>encounter</em>, exacerbated during their time apart til all he could think about was <em>her</em> and trying to get her back, nearly driving him crazy.</p><p>
  <em>You could’ve just talked to her, told her how you feel.</em>
</p><p><em>How </em>did<em> he feel?</em></p><p>Before he knew what he was doing, he’d opened his mouth, the words tumbling out softly against her hair.</p><p>“[y/n], there’s somethin’ I have to tell you,” he said and she hummed softly in response.</p><p>Suddenly tension filled him, but something else compelled him to speak, the words almost coming on their own.</p><p>“I’ve been approached by someone to do something, something that could make me a whole lot of fucking money,” he murmured, hesitating.  “And I wanna tell you about it, maybe even let you in on it, but it could cause trouble, and I… I dunno how you'd even feel about it—“</p><p>Duncan stopped abruptly, letting out a heavy breath as he squeezed his eyes shut.  He’d said too much, he’d— [y/n] let out a soft snore and he pushed himself up to look down at her.  She was asleep.  She’d been asleep this whole time.</p><p>Duncan sighed.  Maybe it was for the best that she didn’t know.  Maybe he’d keep it that way until he knew he could trust her.</p><p>He <em>wanted</em> to trust her.</p><p>
  <em>But could he afford to?</em>
</p><p>Shaking his head he settled back down next to her, letting his eyes slide shut.  He didn’t want to think about it any longer.  For now, he could be content with <em>this</em>.  Whatever this was.</p><p>——</p><p>It was still dark when you opened your eyes and it took you a second to remember where you were, your surroundings initially unfamiliar.  It wasn’t until you realized Duncan was asleep draped over your chest that you remembered the events from the night before, the pleasant ache between your thighs still there and you stretched, Duncan stirring against you.</p><p>“Did we—?”</p><p>“Sleep together?  <em>Obviously</em>,” Duncan supplied, cracking an eye to peer up at you from where his cheek rested against your chest, “hasn’t been the first time either doll, or have you already blocked those times from your memory?” he continued wryly, and you found yourself idly stroking his back, tracing circles against his warm skin, pulling a soft groan from him.</p><p>“No, you arse,” you muttered, “I meant… you’re still here,” you pointed out softly and Duncan tensed in your arms.  He’d fallen asleep with you.</p><p>“I wouldn’t over analyze it, luv,” he murmured quickly, closing his eyes as he settled against you once more.  “I was… exhausted and you were comfortable, that’s all.”</p><p>“Hmm, if you say so,” you mused, faintly teasing, as you paused to brush a stray curl from his forehead.  “But I don’t believe you,” you finished, your hand once more returning to his back.</p><p>“Believe whatever you like, darling,” he drawled, sleep heavy in his voice, “but this doesn’t mean anything.”</p><p>Despite his words, the fact that he hadn’t just left after the deed was done spoke volumes and the soft smile on his face as he laid atop you now was all the confirmation you needed.  He could protest as much as he liked that this was just sex and nothing more, but you knew better, you could feel it— something had definitely changed in him.</p><p>“Oh, really?” you pressed, not ready to let it go, wanting to hear him say it.</p><p>“Yes, <em>really</em>,” he huffed, pushing himself up, but before he could say any more you pulled his face to yours, pressing your lips to his softly.</p><p>His words melted into a soft moan and he kissed you back, slow and thoroughly.  You were briefly aware of your morning breath, but you were past caring, pulling Duncan closer.</p><p>“I’m glad you’re still here,” you admitted softly when he finally broke the kiss, your gaze finding his in the dark and he cleared his throat.</p><p>“Me too.”</p>
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